How to Make Pet Beds & Toys
In this day and age, there are a lot of us who are on tight budgets in our households. With prices of daily living always sky rocketing around us and no increased income to support these increases, many of us are struggling to survive yet alone having to fork out high pet costs. In this section, I'm trying to help us in helping our special friends to feel cared for.
You can easily make your own pet beds and toys out of supplies you have around your house.
Many pet owners go to the pet store to buy a pet bed and pet toys for their canine or feline family companion if they're financial enough to pay the exhuberant prices. Pet supply stores have many options for bed styles as well as sizes, if your willing and able to pay their prices. They also have many types of toys for your pet to play with. Unfortunately for us consumers, the beds and toys that you can purchase at the store can be quite expensive and if your pets are anything like mine, it can be like flushing your hard earn money down the drain as I have one dog that is a destroyer of all pet beds and toys that I ever buy.
Luckily for us, you can easily make your own pet beds and pet toys at home with old towels, sweaters, material scraps etc for vey little costs unlike the pet store prices.
An example of things you could need are:
Tape measure
Towels
Sweater
Polyfill stuffing
Scissors
Canvas
Sewing machine
Thread
Needle
Pins
Squeakers
Bells
Catnip
To make a standard cushioned pet bed:
Use a soft measuring tape to measure from the tip of your pet's nose to his rump. The measurement will determine the size of his bed. Add 6" to this measurement to account for the bed's filling.
Choose enough towels to use as the fabric for your bed. The number of towels you need depends on your pets measurements.
You can use some type of paper, if needed such as tissue paper or paper bag etc to make a template for your pet's bed. Shape it as required, rounding the corner's. This is probably best done in a mirror half fashion, so that when you open your template, you have the complete mirror image shape.
If you have some canvas, you can cut a second base to form the bottom of your pet's bed.
Measure your template's outline. This will be the length of fabric you'll need to make your pet's bed.
Determine the height you want the sides of your bed to be as you'll need an additional width of fabric to make the sides of your pet's bed, if you want it raised for extra cushioning.
Cut a towel to these measurements and if needed, use two towels and sew the lengths together.
To make a more cushioned raised bed with tubed sides:
Use a soft measuring tape to measure from the tip of your pet's nose to his rump. The measurement will determine the size of his bed. Add six inches to this measurement to account for the bed's filling.
Choose enough towels to use as the fabric for your bed. The number of towels you need depends on your pets measurements.
Cut tissue paper or a paper bag open and lay it out flat. Cut it to the length of your measurement. Then fold the bag in half and use scissors to round the corners. When you open the bag, it will be your template for cutting your fabric.
Use your template to cut out the rounded base for your bed from your towel. If you have some canvas, you can cut a second base to form the bottom of your pet's bed.
Measure your template's outline. This will be the length of fabric you need to make the tube for the sides of your bed. Determine the height you want the sides of your bed to be and multiple that by 2. This is the width of fabric you will make the tube for the sides of your pet's bed. Cut your towel to these measurements and if needed, use two towels and sew the lengths together.
Fold the towel in half width-wise to make your tube.
Place the two bottom pieces on top of each other, right sides facing out and use a sewing machine to sew the open edge of the tube to the base. Sew the edges of the tube to one another as well. Leave a 4 to 5" gap in the tube and the base to allow for stuffing.
Fill the base of the bed and the tube with polyfill stuffing, then sew the gaps in to finish the bed.
Other ideas/alternatives for pet bedding:
You can go to your fabric or craft store and buy 1 & 2/3 yards of fake wool hair, fleece or sherpa. Cut these into 4 equal squares of 3 x 3 and you'll have an instant pet bed anywhere. You can also lay these on top of your lounge, bed, chairs, etc to prevent fur transformation.
Pet Jumpers/Coats:
Use a 2nd hand sweater or go to a goodwill store. Find fleece, wool, a child's onesie - jump suit etc. Cut cuffs and feet out of it and put it on your pet for extra warmth.
Pet Toys:
Collect old mismatched socks. Buy some catnip. Roll down a sock and put some catnip in the bottom of sock. Tie up or cut and sew up.
With old sweaters: Cut the sleeves off an old sweater. Cut a bone or fish shape etc out of a piece of paper and pin it to the sleeve lengths of fabric. Use scissors to cut out your required shape, then remove the pins and sew the sleeve shapes together. Leave a 2" gap on the edge of your desired shape to allow for stuffing before your completely sew it closed. You can stuff the inside of your shape with polyfill stuffing etc.
If desiered place a squeaker or bell into the toy before you sew it closed. You can find these at your local pet supply store and some craft stores.
Get some seeds and plant pots of cat grass for your companions. You can keep them indoors or out and your pet's will love you for it.
Cat's love to hide and play in boxes, large paper bags etc.
Cat's love toys on a string or tied to rod such as a thin bamboo stick etc.
I would appreciate hearing any other pet idea's that you may have. Please email me and let me know with the word Pet Idea's or similar in your heading title, so that I pick up on your email as not being spam.
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